The HTC One is HTC's 2013 hero phone, that's clear, but the One has a widely unknown step-brother which is called the "HTC One Dual SIM". So far it wasn't available in Europe but HTC UK has now unveiled in its very own "Official HTC Store" that it's also coming to the UK. It's not too different from the original One, except that it is featuring - as the name is guessing - dual SIM capabilities. This allows to receive calls from either sim card at any time, to switch seamlessly between both sim cards while in a call, HTC Sense helps to manage calls, texts and data between SIM cards effortlessly and the on-board Dual Network Manager allows to select a preferred network and personalize the name of each SIM, eliminating any complexity.

Furthermore, and unlike the original One, the One Dual SIM features a removable battery cover, like the One max which gives access to a microSD memory slot which allows to expand the memory up to 64 GB. However, the dual SIM capabilities cost the LTE support of the original HTC One. The One Dual SIM is therefore supporting for SIM 1 quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE at 850/900/1800/1900 MHz as well as quadband UMTS/HSPA/ at 850/900/1900/2100 MHz while SIM 2 is only supporting quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE at 850/900/1800/1900 MHz.

Other features of the One stay pretty much unchanged. The One Dual SIM is also running on Android Jelly Bean with HTC Sense 5 and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.7 GHz quad-core CPU. It comes with 2 GB RAM and 32 GB flash memory (which can be expanded), features a 4.7" Full HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2, sports a 4 megapixel UltraPixels main camera with auto-focus, LED flash and a front facing 2.1 megapixel camera. On top of 2G and 3G it also supports Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi a/ac/b/g/n and comes with the One typical Beats Audio sound enhancement. All this is powered by a 2300 mAh Li-Ion battery, measures 137.4 x 68.3 x 10.4 mm and weights 153 grams; making the One DUAL SIM 10 grams heavier than the One.

According to the Official HTC Store, the HTC One Dual SIM is now available for pre-order and is expected to cost £494.99 (around 590 Euro).

UPDATE: As HTC UK just confirmed the::unwired, there are currently no plans for a cross-European launch. Nevertheless, the borderless Europe also means that users from other countries can also order from the UK. So if you are in Germany, Italy, France, or wherever, feel free to head over the the Official HTC UK Shop to place your (pre-)order there. (28.11.2013)